The field of the invention is holding devices and the invention relates more specifically to spikes which are driven into wooden objects to provide a means for attachment of something to the wooden object or to the spike which extends therefrom.
Applicant has devised a novel Christmas Tree Stand which is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,415. The stand utilized a gripped ball member which could be securely held in any desired orientation. The Christmas tree was affixed to the ball member by means of a spike indicated by reference character 12 in the drawings of that patent. After the spike was partly driven into the tree, the extending portion of the spike was inserted in an opening in the ball thereby holding the tree to the ball.
It has been determined that although the spike shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,415 was satisfactory for many types of sizes of trees that occasionally the spike could cause a tree to split and thereby be incapable of holding the tree in the desired manner. Furthermore, occasionally the spike would not be sufficiently secured by the tree to prevent a turning of the tree which in turn would tend to weaken the grip of the spike by the tree.